Pull-Out Platform for my "8020" Kitchen Module (pic heavy!)

[Boreal Overland]

On my last camping trip i used my DIY kitchen for the first time and it worked great.
But because i had to place it on the tailgate getting to my other gear in the back of the car
was not that easy of course.

"8020" KITCHEN MODULE, First time use!

He guys! Last weekend i finally had the chance to use and test the kitchen module i made some time ago. (Build here: "8020" KITCHEN MODULE..) The kitchen module is basically just a frame out of aluminum extrusion with 2 drawers made from euro style (60x40 centimeters) storage boxes and a fixed...

www.overlandbound.com

So this is what i made:




And this is how i made it..

I decided to build a pull-out platform to make life a bit easier on longer trips..
Because i like to keep the car relative light weight since it's my daily driver i did not want to use
a (heavy) wood base plate in the back of the car to bolt the pull-out platform on.
So after some thinking i decided to use a 2040 aluminum extrusion as a crossmember
(sorry don't know a better word in English for it) and bolt it to the factory tie down nuts behind the back seats.
Because they lay a bit deeper in the floor i had to fabricate two solid spacers.

This chunky block is what i had laying around.. Try and use stuff i already have.





Something like that.. two solid spacers to bolt the crossmember on too.



So with that sorted i now could figure out how to build the pull-out platform and how to bolt it to the crossmember.

Taking a couple 1000 measurements lol.






After al the measuring i had a fairly clear idea how i was going to build the platform and the dimensions
i can use.

To be continued..

 

[Boreal Overland]

I ordered all the parts i needed and begun building.
The most expensive part where the 90CM - 130KG rated locking drawer slides of course.
And at 6KG they are also half of the total weight of the platform.

I build a base frame out of 2020 and 2040 aluminum extrusions that fit between the tailgate
and the 2040 crossmember in the back.

I made myself a jig for drilling the oversize holes in the center of the extrusions.
It can be done without a jig but this way i have better results..






Super light and strong construction.



The bracket i made in the front of the frame is where i bolt the frame to a rivet-nut i made near the tailgate,
it's in a steel structure underneath the plastic cover..


So before i could attach the drawer slides to the frame i had to make a couple of brackets first..
And again i used a aluminum plate i already had laying around.










A couple days later i found some ready made brackets in a hardware store..
That would have saved a decent amount of work but they looked a bit weaker so
i am still happy i made these myself and the way they look.

To be continued..!

 

[scarroll1371]

Looks good, I have been looking into starting some build with 8020 stuff.

 

[Boreal Overland]

Looks good, I have been looking into starting some build with 8020 stuff.

It might be cheaper or maybe easier sometimes building with wood, but once you get the “feel” for this 8020 it’s actually not that hard working with it. The right tools and planning ahead is key..

 

[Boreal Overland]

With the base frame and the brackets ready it was time to attach the drawer slides to the base frame
and make the top of sliding platform.



I used 12mm Poplar plywood because it's lightweight and my kitchen module mostly sits
on top of the drawer slides with its weight so i don't need a super strong and heavy wood.





I decided to make the plate even more lightweight.





Starting to look like something..
I was thinking about painting it with something like bedliner, that would be looking great.
But because i was on a bit of a budget, i used a rubber mat i still had laying around.





I cover the plate with rubber and trim the edge with aluminum.

 

[Boreal Overland]

So with most of the work done i wanted to have a look at the locks on the drawer slide
and see if we can make this a one-hand opening slide.
Of course we can lol, just have to figure out how and make it work..

It was fairly simple..







Easy peasy.. Nice!



Only thing to do was to make two brackets that connect the base frame to the crossmember in the car.
I wanted to make a sort of quick detachment for taking the pull-out platform quickly in and out of the car,
but decided to just bolt that sucker to the crossmember instead.
Because the weight of the extended platform, the full kitchen module (20 KG) and maybe some pans with boiling water
pulling on these brackets i feel safer to just bolt it instead of some sort of a quick release tingy..



To be continued..

 

[Jhop567]

Very nice work...

 

[Boreal Overland]

Ready to go..




The pull-out platform weighs 12,5 KG, thats with the crossmember, nuts'n bolts and spacers.
Not to bad, seeing platforms from well known brands with similar size and load capacity weighing about 18-20 Kilo's..
It's about 10CM high, just over 90CM long and 43CM wide.




And with the kitchen module on top, still room left for a jerrycan next to it.



To be continued..

 

[Boreal Overland]

And in the back of the car.



Looks like it's taking up the whole back of the car in this picture,
but the pull-out platform takes up exactly half of the available space so i can still fit a drawer
or Alu box on the other side.



I made some hooks underneath the little side table so i can hang a dry-back from it that houses a small trash bag (not in this picture).
The aluminum lit on the bottom drawer serves as food prep table or can be used as a top lit to cover the Primus 2 burner stove in the top.



I also bought a 13L jerrycan and a little 5V USB faucet/pump that seem to work very nice and simple so far..

Let's hope the borders here in Europe open up soon so and i can plan a trip and see if all works out the way i planned.
It sure was a lot of work.. many long days.. but i am very pleased now it's done and ready to use.

Well.. that's all for now, hope you like it.

Safe travels!

 

[lugantom]

This is VERY nice work! I'm currently awaiting some 8020 parts to build a simple platform to hold my fridge. my set-up is modular - it has to go in and out of the truck easily and not take up a lot of room in the garage. I really like how you attached the slides to the t-slot bars. I think I will add drawers to my set-up similarly, but I have to hang down from an upper support to hold the slides. Thanks for the excellent pictures - helped me to visualize how I can suspend the slides from the platform. Very clever integration of those molded plastic drawers vs. assembling from panels - they are probably much stronger and lighter.

Again, THANKS for sharing!

 

[PapaDave]

Great work! Lots of innovation here!

 

[Boreal Overland]

This is VERY nice work! I'm currently awaiting some 8020 parts to build a simple platform to hold my fridge. my set-up is modular - it has to go in and out of the truck easily and not take up a lot of room in the garage. I really like how you attached the slides to the t-slot bars. I think I will add drawers to my set-up similarly, but I have to hang down from an upper support to hold the slides. Thanks for the excellent pictures - helped me to visualize how I can suspend the slides from the platform. Very clever integration of those molded plastic drawers vs. assembling from panels - they are probably much stronger and lighter.

Again, THANKS for sharing!

Clad my post helped you out a bit..
Yes, these plastic containers (drawers) are, cheap, lightweight and strong.
No need for me to make something thats already made, if the dimensions work out of course.

Good luck on your build!
Steve

 

[Boreal Overland]

Great work! Lots of innovation here!

Thanks Dave..
Nothing better than seeing the idea in your head comes to life in the build process..
Even better when out camping and enjoying your own creation, as you know.